The What and The How of System and School Effectiveness
The What and The How of School improvement involves leadership, teachers, resources, pedagogy and the school community all working together to change school practices for better student outcomes. A School improvement Culture requires an inquiry mindset open to learning, strategic planning and action. Not just in documentation but actual practice, in classrooms, every day. In my work as a School Effectiveness consultant, I encounter many School Improvement Plans and detailed Annual Action Plans. These respond to the questions:
What are our priorities?
What strategies will we invest in?
What are the roles and responsibilities required to implement these priorities?
What evidence will we use to track and monitor improvement?
Strategic leadership and collaboration in teams are required to map the plan (The WHAT) to move forward. But many schools can flounder in a sea of actions (more first-order changes than second). The `struggle space’ is about The HOW they improve their schools.
Our engagement and subsequent learning Journey with Dr Lyn Sharratt has developed a Regional/Schools shared language and a deep understanding of this. Our work with Lyn has taken us to new levels building beliefs, understandings and acknowledging expertise. This has enabled us to respond to common areas of need in school improvement and continue to ask:
How do we build teaching expertise in instructional strategies, utilising the knowledge of expert teachers in our school?
How do we actually talk about what we are teaching and why, to refine our teaching skills?
How do we harness what students are saying about their learning and analyse it to reshape learning for greater engagement?
How do we grow assessment-capable leaders, teachers and students to set goals (at all levels) that are authentic and achievable?
Of course, there are many more questions that come `from the field’ every day. It’s the real work, in schools. And ‘The HOW’ is rigorous work that requires learning of all teachers and leaders – just as important as student learning. Our critical friend Lyn continues to encourage us to question, learn, trial and reflect on ‘The HOW’ and I believe this is the reason why our schools have engaged willingly and harnessed the 14 Parameters as a self-reflection tool for System and School Improvement (Sharratt, L. CLARITY, p. 11, Corwin Press).
Karilyn Gumley
Regional Learning Consultant - School Effectiveness
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools
Australia